To Say I Love You
by DCdreamer55
Summary: I love you.  Three very simple words, such a complex meaning.  Being in love is like having a fire inside of you. To put it simply, it eats you up alive. And once you start the fire,it is nearly impossible to put out. Po tells Tigress he loves her. Ch2 up
1. Chapter 1

To Say I Love You

**Disclaimer: I own nothing -_- yeah, I wish.**

I love you.

Three very simple words, such a complex meaning.

L-O-V-E

Love:

To feel tender affection for somebody such as a close relative or friend, or for something such as a place, an ideal, or an animal.

To feel romantic and sexual desire and longing for somebody.

To like something, or like doing, something very much.

An intense feeling of tender affection and compassion.

A romantic affair, somebody who is loved romantically.

A foolish, unreasoning, or extravagant passion or attraction

All of the above.

**Love** is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.

Being in love is like having a fire inside of you. To put it simply, it eats you up alive.

And once you start the fire, once you have a flame, it is nearly impossible to put out.

_I love you_

He hadn't meant to say it.

_I love you_

It was a mistake, an accident.

_I love you_

But there are no accidents, right?

_I love you_

Right?

He had regretted it immediately afterwards. It had just come out, no warning, no hints or clues for him to be able to tell that it was coming. Just random and spontaneous. Free and truthful. It had ruined everything.

It had been a normal morning. They got up, they trained. They ate, trained some more. Break, more training. Meditation, training. Then it was time for dinner. It was the same as any regular night. Po made noodles, he was as loud as ever, Mantis and Monkey made jokes, keeping up the witty banter from everyone in the room. Crane sat quietly, watching and occasionally laughing to himself. Viper chatted with Tigress, who would often use her fast tough and quick wit to comment on the others conversations. Master Shifu sat at the head of the table, observing his students carefully, putting in his two cents here and there. Normal, all together normal.

"Po, Tigress, it is your turn to do the dishes."

Until then

Tigress sighed inwardly, why did she get stuck with the panda.

"Yes master." they said simultaneously, bowing to the elderly red panda.

The rest of the masters quietly left the room. Heading to their bed chambers so they could turn is for the night. Po and Tigress stood side by side silently watching them go. Master Shifu took up the rear, he paused and looked at his two prized students.

"Behave, you two." he said, then, more light-heartedly, "Goodnight." and left the kitchen.

Tigress's lip curled and she let out a small growl. Behave, of course she would be have. The panda, well, that she couldn't promise. Let's get this over with, she thought, walking over to the sink.

"I'll wash, and you dry, okay." Po instructed.

"Sounds good, Po." she said, she didn't really hate the panda. She actually liked him. He was loud and annoying. Clumsy and foolish. And a goofball of a dragon warrior. But she was his best friend, and he was hers. Tigress was quite fond of the fluffy panda, but she couldn't let anyone know that, now could she?

_I love you._

Tigress took a dish that Po handed her, drying it carefully, then pacing it in the rack. This went on for a little while. He washed, she dried. They cleaned the dishes in comfortable silence. Po began to hum softly as he washed. Tigress looked at he annoyed.

"Ahem."

Po stopped humming a turned to her. "Yeah."

Tigress raised her eyebrows, a knowing smirk on her face.

"Oh, sorry."

"It's okay, Po." she said lightly. And they turned back to the dishes.

"What were you humming.?"

"What?"

"When you were humming back then, what were you humming?"

"Oh, just a lullaby that my dad used to sing to me when I was a cub." Po told her.

"_Hush baby, hush darling, don't make a sound_." he sang quietly.

Tigress's eyes widened in realization. "I know that one." she said, and sung

"_Hush baby, hush sweetie, lay your head down_."

"_Hush little panda, don't be so blue." _Po sang the next verse

"_Hush little tiger_," Tigress continued.

They sang the last part together. " _Your dreams will come true."_

They stepped closer to each other, lost in the other person's eyes. Tigress was just an inch or to shorter than Po, so she had to tilt her head up slightly to get a good look at him. They stood there, noses touching, breathing heavy. Her heart sped up and she could fell his breath on her face. Po smiled down at her.

_I love you._

"You're a wonderful singer, you have a beautiful voice." he whispered.

Tigress felt her cheeks heat up, who knew that the panda could be so smooth. "Thank you."

" You should sing more often, your great." he complemented.

She shook her head, "No, I haven't sung since I was very young."

"That's a shame." Po said, leaning in closer. Tigress's mind whirled, and at the last second, she stepped away. She just couldn't do it, she couldn't. Long ago she had built a wall around her heart, and she couldn't let him in. She just couldn't.

"We have to finish the dishes." she whispered, gesturing to the counter, her voice was a little hoarse. Thick with tears that were threatening to fall, but that wouldn't happen, she hadn't cried for 15 years. Tigress turned back to the sink, letting out a deep breath, eyes sparkling. Her heart ached, ached for Po.

They finished up the rest of the dishes without any further talking, or humming, for that matter. Tigress finished up drying the last dish and put in in the rack, she turned to Po and nodded.

"Looks like we are done." she said

"Yeah, night." he replied

"Goodnight."

Po turned to go, walking towards the door. And then, with out really thinking about what he was going to do.

"I love you."

There was a moment of silence, when they both froze, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Po was the first to react, hands flying to his mouth, wishing he could reverse time and take that back.

Tigress on the other hand, didn't react at all. She just froze, her body stiffened and teeth clenched, breathing erratic as her head pounded and mind whirled. No one had ever said that to her.

Po turned around to look at the tiger master, who had not moved since his confession. He didn't know what to do, he wondered what she was thinking. And now, to try and make things better, he did what Po did best, besides eating, he talked.

"Tigress?" no reply "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I-I, umm, I mean, it's not like I didn't mean it, I really do love you." Tigress flinched, he said it again. "I mean, w-who wouldn't love you? Your so cool and awesome, and nice and super beautiful. I mean, and umm, your kung fu is like, totally awesome and stuff, and umm, I, ugg, I'm just going to stop talking now." he finished, out of breath.

Tigress still hadn't moved, her arms were braced on the edge of the counter, claws digging into the wood. Her body was now visibly shaking, her shoulders buckling as she held her self up against the sink.

"Tigress?" Po asked, worried "Are you okay?"

"Nobody has ever said that to me before." she said, her voice shaky.

"What?"

"Nobody has ever told me that they loved me before you."

"Nobody?" he asked. Tigress shook her head. "No." she whispered.

"Ever?" She shook her head no again. "Never."

"Well I love you." he told her. Tigress flinched once more.

"It's true, I do, I love you Tigress, you're my first love." he announced confidently.

Tigress took a deep breath and turned to face him. Her whole body was trembling slightly, eyes glistening with tears. She looked up at him, opening her mouth to speak, but now words came out.

"Tigress?" Po asked, taking a step towards her.

Tigress looked at her feet, taking a deep breath she opened her mouth again, then closed it, then opened it once more. When she finally spoke, her voice was just above a whisper.

"Yes."

Po took another step closer to her.

"You beautiful."

Another step.

"You sweet and kind."

Tigress flinched again, sighing she looked up into his beautiful jade green eyes. Her chest tightened and her heart beat sped up into overdrive.

This time she took a step.

"And your loyal, and graceful. Pretty and thoughtful." Po continued.

Step.

"Your perfect, and that's why I love you. I don't understand why you have never been told that before. Your so perfect, and I love you so much. I do." he finished.

They were now nose to nose, neither of them dared to move, or say anything that might ruin the moment. Tigress even held her breath, biting her tough inside her mouth.

Po leaned in, closing the small gap between them. Her breath hitched as there lips touched, and the sparks flew, but just before it could ignite, before a flame began to burn, Tigress pulled away slightly. She closed her mouth and looked down, hands flying to her lips and stroking them carefully. Her breath came out in fast pants, heart beating faster then a hummingbirds wings.

"I can't." she whispered. Ducking her head and hiding her face.

"Why?" Po asked.

"I-" she began, but quickly closed her mouth, she couldn't continue. She had been hurt before, and more importantly, she had hurt before as well. Damaged people that she loved. It seemed that she hurt everyone she cared about, everyone. They all got hurt. She didn't care about many people, and she wouldn't add Po to that short list. "I just can't"

Po put a finger under Tigress chin, lifting her head towards him. He smiled down at her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Yes, you can." he told her, pulling her in.

This time Tigress didn't resist, she gave in, fully and truly. Po closed the gap, lightly pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was full of passion and love. They both wanted this so bad. And they got what they wanted.

Tigress pulled back first, smiling for the first time that night.

"I love you." Po said once more.

And Tigress loved him back.

**Thanks everyone for reading, please review ****J Go, now! REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

To Say I Love 

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, wait for it, wait… yeah, nope, still nothing.**

**A/N: Okay, so I decided to continue this. Yay! *no body cheers, cricket, cricket* Wow, thanks guys. Anyway, I'm not quite sure where this is going, but I had an idea for a second chapter, so here it is!**

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed, especially **_**Soul of a Lion**_**, **_**crazy jaky**_** and **_**monkeycyborgninja.**_** Everyone's reviews mean a lot to me, thanks. Now on to the story!**

Chapter 2

I love you.

Three simple words - such a complex meaning.

L-O-V-E  
>Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.<p>

Being in love is like having a fire inside of you. To put it simply, it eats you up alive. It consumes you completely, until there is almost nothing left. Spreading quickly until it totally takes over. And once you have a spark, once there is a flame, it is nearly impossible to put out

Tigress it had different.

_I love you._

Less rushed and surprising.

_I love you._

Less spontaneous and unexpected.

_I love you._

Less Po, more Tigress.

_I love you._

But with the same amount of emotion.

* * *

><p>It had been a beautiful evening. An early spring night, where it was no longer cold, but the air still crisp. Wind blew softly across the valley, causing the trees to dance peacefully. A large gust of wind ruffled Tigress's fur, chilling her slightly. She resisted the urge to shiver as she sat quietly under the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Tigress sat cross-legged, back straight and eyes focused on the sunset before her. It was quite pretty. The blossoms had just begun to grow on the tree's branches, filling the air with a wonderful smells, and littering the ground with fallen flowers. The sun gave off a warm orange glow, lighting the sky with beautiful colours. It was lovely. Tigress was completely at peace.<p>

"Oof...ouch..that hurt."

There went the peace.

Tigress sighed inwardly_. Oh, Po, _she thought. Said panda stumbled up the hill loudly, tripping over his own feet as he made his way to the peach tree.

_I love you._

He smiled at her as he finally made it to the top, looking at the beautiful view before him. And he wasn't just talking about the sunset. He walked over to the tree, quietly taking a seat beside the female tiger master.

They had been 'together' for a few weeks now, not really dating, but together. He had taken her out and that was good enough for Po, he did not want to push Tigress. They hadn't told anyone about it, or really even mentioned it at all. They were just comfortable where they were, and they were both okay with that.

"Hello, Po." Tigress greeted him, acknowledging him for the first time. She didn't take her eyes of the setting sun.

"Hi." he replied, turning his head slightly to take a quick glance at her, she still hadn't moved.

They continued to sit there in comfortable silence. Then, nervously, Po slid his hand quietly over to where hers was, and then, taking a deep breath, he took her hand gently in his.

Now she was looking over at Po, who was currently gazing at the sunset, refusing to look at her. His heart was beating quickly;he hoped that he hadn't gone too far. However, to his surprise, Tigress didn't pull away, and not even that, she squeezed his hand back, holding on tightly.

Po let out a quiet gasp, breath hitching slightly. He held on tightly, not wanting to let go. He wasn't going to let her get away.

"Po." she began.

"No, Tigress, it's okay, you don't have to say anything." he said, squeezing her hand again.

"No, it's not about that, it's something else." Tigress told him. She hoped that she didn't sound as nervous and unsure as she felt.

"What?" he asked.

Tigress took a deep breath "I," she began, but then stopped, not knowing where to go from there. Her stomach churned and her heart pounded against her chest.

"It's okay Tigress, you don't have to say anything. You know that I love you." he told her.

Tigress flinched again, she still hadn't gotten used to that.

_I love you._

She looked back towards the setting sun, it was lighting the sky with bright colours. Orange and red. Pink and blue and purple. It gave off a warm orange glow, casting shimmering beams of light across their faces and surrounding the tree.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore." she confessed.

Po's smile faded

"What?"

"I don't know if I can do this anymore." she repeated.

"Do what?" he asked.

"This," she said, gesturing between them "this, us, I just don't know."

"What?" he repeated, insure of himself.

"Po, I-" she sighed

You what?" he asked cutting her off.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I just can't." she repeated.

"Why?' he demanded.

She looked up at him, she had never seen him get mad before.

"Why, Tigress? Why? Do you not like me? I thought you did, I love you, Tigress." he said.

"Po." she said loudly, getting his attention. "I do care about you, I really do, it's just…"

"Just what, Tigress?"

"I can't, okay?" she exploded "I just can't! Everything I touch breaks, and I won't break you, I won't add you to that list."

"I'm not as fragile as you think I am Tigress." he told her.

"Yes, Po, yes you are. You're so kind and true, and sweet. I don't want to be the one to break that Po. You have such a good heart, people like you are hard to find." she sighed "I have spent years building up the wall around my heart…I won't, I can't let you in."

"Why, Tigress? Why?" he asked her.

"I just can't!" she yelled.

"Why?" he repeated, standing up "I care about you Tigress, why can't you care about me?"

"I do!" she yelled back.

"No, you don't, or you just don't have the guts to say so, I love you Tigress."

She flinched, still not used to that. His eyes were staring deeply into hers, full of hope and emotion.

"No wonder no one else ever loved you."

She froze, silence. He had just crossed the line.

His mouth fell open in a silent gasp. _Nice move _he thought, and it was indeed, a very nice move. Oh yes, yes it was. She was now standing as well, hands balled into tight fists at her sides.

He should have expected it when she swung at him.

It was a powerful punch, well aimed, with perfect precision as her fist flew effortlessly though the air and connected with the side of his cheek. It sent him flying, he landed a few feet away from her, face down in the dirt.

He stood back up, dusting the dirt of his body and rubbing his now sore jaw. Po turned to look at Tigress, who was staring out at the sun, which had almost completely disappeared behind the horizon.

"Tigress?" he asked tentatively. "I shouldn't have said that, I'm so sor-"

He should have expected the kick too.

"I know I should have never told you that." she whispered, still not looking at the panda, who was, once again, dusting himself off.

"Then why did you?" he asked, confused.

"Because!" she yelled back.

'Because what?"

"Because I, I-"

_I love you._

Tigress turned her head towards him, looking, but not really seeing. She clenched and unclenched her paws, arms trembling slightly as she held them tight against her body. She focused one his face, looking deep into his pleading jade greens eyes. Such beautiful eyes.

"Because I love you." she whispered.

Po's mouth fell open. "Y-you what?" he stuttered.

She turned her head back to the sunset. "I love you." she said, even though she tried to keep the slight quiver out of her voice, he still heard it.

"You love me?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows, annoyed, hadn't she just said that? But she nodded yes anyway.

He didn't know what to say, Tigress loved him, the famous Master Tigress loved him. This was so awesome. He looked to her, she was still staring at the setting sun, crimson eyes burning with passion. He smiled wildly, his green eyes glowing.

"I love you too." he said.

She turned to him, mouth hinting a small ghost of a smile. Po steeped forward, pulling Tigress into a hug. She buried her head in the crook of his neck. He held her tightly to his chest, she smelt of lavender and jasmine. His new favourite smell.

"I love you." they whispered simultaneously as they pulled away to look into each other's eyes.

Po leaned in, he wanted her so badly. He loved her so much, and she loved him back. Tigress's breath hitched slightly as their noses touched. But she wanted him too.

Their lips touched in a sweet kiss just as the rest of the sun visible disappeared behind the horizon, covering the couple in shadows.

**A/N: So there you go, chapter 2, I might continue, tell me what you think (: REVIEW!**

**Ohmigosh, kung fu panda is on, yes!**

**Now go, review, seriously.**


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